Kashmiris told to observe shutdown on 26th

ISLAMABAD - Veteran Hurriyet leader Syed Ali Gilani has called for a complete shutdown in the territory on January 26, the Republic Day of India, to protest New Delhi’s illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir.Syed Ali Gilani, in a statement issued in Srinagar, appealed to the Kashmiri people to observe India's Republic Day as black day. “January 26 will be observed as black day to protest the forced and undemocratic occupation of Kashmir by India,” he said, Kashmir Media Service reported.The veteran leader said Kashmiris had no animosity with India or its people, but the country had no right to celebrate its Republic Day in the occupied territory till it gave the people of Kashmir their right to self-determination. He also called for shutdown in Handwara on January 25 to mark the anniversary of the 1990 massacre and in Kupwara on January 27 to remember the Kashmiris who were killed by Indian troops during the carnage of 1994. He described the people who lost their lives during the freedom movement as heroes of Kashmir. “The aim of remembering our martyrs is to reaffirm our commitment towards the cause for which our people have been rendering sacrifices for 66 years,” he added. The veteran leader said Kupwara district suffered the most during the ongoing liberation movement. “There is not a single household in Kupwara whose member or relative has not been martyred or subjected to oppression during the liberation struggle,” he stated. Syed Ali Gilani also announced to from women’s wing of his party, Tehreek-e-Hurriyet Jammu and Kashmir.INDIAN TROOPS MARTYR YOUTH IN IOK: Indian troops, in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred a Kashmiri youth in Islamabad district on Monday.The personnel of 9 Rashtriya Rifles and Special Operations Group killed the youth identified as Javed Ahmad during a siege and search operation at Shempora in the Qazigund area of the district, Kashmir Media Service reported. A house of a civilian, Ghulam Nabi Parray, was also damaged during the operation.Indian police claimed Javed was an active militant of Hizbul Mujahideen and was killed in a gun battle.